Cobra AH-1Q/S Attack Helicopter

The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engine attack helicopter developed by Bell Helicopter. A member of the Huey family, it is also known as the HueyCobra or Snake. Developed rapidly for the Vietnam War, it used the same engine, transmission, and rotor system as the Bell UH-1 Iroquois but featured a redesigned narrow fuselage.

The original AH-1 included stub wings for weapons, a chin-mounted gun turret, and an armored tandem cockpit operated by a pilot and gunner. Its purpose was to provide armed escort for transport helicopters. The prototype’s maiden flight was on 7 September 1965, leading to swift production. By June 1967, AH-1s were in service with the US Army in Vietnam, providing fire support, escorting transport helicopters, and operating in “hunter killer” teams with Hughes OH-6A Cayuse scout helicopters. The Cobra fleet logged over one million operational hours in the Vietnam War, with around 300 lost in combat.

The United States Marine Corps and other branches of the US military also acquired the AH-1, with exports to countries like Israel, Japan, and Turkey. It was key in US Army operations in Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, and the Gulf War until replaced by the Boeing AH-64 Apache in the 1990s, with final AH-1s retired in 2001. Israeli Air Force Cobras were notably active along the Lebanon border during the 1982 Lebanon War, while Turkish AH-1s engaged Kurdish insurgents. Upgraded versions include the twin-engine AH-1 SeaCobra/SuperCobra and the experimental Bell 309 KingCobra. Surplus AH-1s have been repurposed, including for aerial firefighting.